Sign and the like



C. W. HAWTHORNE.

SIGN AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED APn.2l.-|s22.

1,426,475. Patented Aug .22, 1922.

j T72 egg err cHARLEsw. HAWTHORNE, or BUFFALO, New. YORK.

SIGN AND THE LIKE. i

ToaZZwhomitmay concern." H

Be it known that 1, CHARLES W. HAW- 'rn'om n, a citizen of the United States, re-

siding at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Signs and the like, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to signs, advertisingdevices and the like, and has for one of it objects to provide a practical and pleasing sign or the like, of strong, durable and comparatively inexpensive construction, in which the advertising or other matter is displayed on a surface composed of a plurality of component sections or elements which are arranged so as to produce, in effeet, a continuous display surface, but which are nevertheless mounted to swing independcntly to reducethe wind resistance ofthe surface, attract attention and create [a pleasing effect. Other objects of the invention are to construct and movably mount the component sign elements so as to reduce the cost and labor of makingand assembling the same, and so that said elements can be formed and painted or otherwise finished at the factory in a way to enable them to be readily assembled at any required place by unskilled labor to produce the desired sign, picture or other matter; and also to improve signs and the like in the other respects hereinafter described and set forth in the claims.

in the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1. is a front elevation of a sign embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation thereof on line 2- -2, Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary front view of the sign.

rig. i is a perspective view of one of the sign elements detached.

Fig. 5 is a sectional detail of the support ing frame on line 55, Fig. 3.

6 a perspective view of a sign element of modified form.

The sign surface on which the picture, advertisement or other matter for display is painted or otherwise depicted, is made up of a plurality of sections or elements 10 mounted side by side in close relation to'each other suitable supporting frame or structure so that the several component sections orelements form in effect, especially when fipecification of Letters Patent. Pafgntgd A g- 22 1922 Application filed April 21, 1922. Serial Nd. 555,535." i

viewed from a point somewhat removed material a'ndare separately and movablv mounted in the openings or interstices of openwork fabric 11, composed ofcross wires or slender rods 12 and 13. In the preferred,

construction shown in the drawings, the

wires 12 and 13 of this fabric are arranged,

respectively vertically and'horizontally, and are welded together at the points where the Wires cross, as indicated in. Fig; 5, and the elements or sections 10 are madeof a size to substantially fill the rectangular openings between the cross wires of the wire fabric,

the elementsbeing mounted so as to swing 1 freely forwardly and rearwardlyinsaiu openings. f

In the form shown in big. '4, each sign element or section 10 is provided with a bentover, upper edge 14, forming a splitsleeve, whereby the elements are adapted to be hung on the horizontal wires 1j3-of the supporting frame,.so that the elements 10 can swing freely back and forth on the wires 13 infthe. openings formed by the, cross wires, The sleeves at the upper ends of the elements are preferably formed sojjthat the elements-can be readily snapped into place on the horizontal wires and retained thereon against accidental displacement, while nevertheless beingfree to swing and adapted to be readily removed if desired. I I f As shown in Fig. 6, the sign element 10 consists of a rectangular piececof sheet metal bent upon itself midway between its ends. to provide opposite halves or plates connected at the upper end of the element by a tubu lar sleeve 15 adapted to receive the supporting wire 13. Ineither form of the sign ele ments 10 and 10 thev are adapted to be readily engaged with and detached from the supporting wires and to-hang therefrom s.) as to swing freelyon the wires. p The fabric composed of the cross wires 1 2- and 13, can be supported inoperative posi For instance,

bottom oross-barsortubes l7 and '1'8,"th e lower ends of the side posts being embedded in a foundation to stationarily secure the sign in upright position. The wires of the fabric 11 are secured to the upright and cross bars of the supporting frame.

In order to limit the sw ng of the sign elements 10 and prevent them from swing adapted to permit the elements to swing freely'through a considerable are, but to engage and prevent the elements from swinging beyond the desired limit. The stop wires 19 are preferably attached to fittings 20 on the top and bottom bars of the supporting frame, these fittings projecting forwardly and rearwardly from the frame bars sufficiently to hold the stop wires at the required distance in front and in rear of the swinging sign elements.

The wires or rods 12 and 13 forming the fabric 11 which supports the swinging sign elements are slender, and by hanging the ign elements directly on the horizontal wires or rods by the bent-over parts of the elements, and making the elements practically' as large as the openings between the cross wires, practically no open spaces are left between adjacent elements 10, and the swinging elements form a substantially continuous sign surface, as represented in 1. The use of the fabric in which the crosS- ing wires or rods are welded at their inter sections and not twisted together or con-- nected by joint pieces, enables the elements 10 to be arranged much closer together than would be otherwise possible, and thus enhances the unbroken effect of the sign surface. If the picture or device displayed on the sign covers a plurality of these ele ments 10, as in the case of the potted plant represented in Fig. 1, component poi tions of the picture will appear on different sign elements, and each element will bear only a portion of the complete picture or device. In this way, when the hanging elements are caused to swing back and forth by the wind, they will produce a scintillation or motion of the picture, which produces a pleasing and attractive effect which draws attention to the sign and adds to its advertising value. The movement of the component portions of the picture, especially when an object having moving portions is represented, adds to ,the realistic effect of the representation,

creating the impression of movement which would be produced by the thing pictured.

A large picture or sign can also be produced and set up inexpensively by reason of this construction, since the sign or picture can be painted or otherwise produced on the component elements at the shop or factory, and then simply by numbering the individual elements in order, they can be packed compactly and transported to the place where the sign is to be set up and readily placed in the proper order indicated by the numbers, by unskilled labor, The size of the sign elements and other parts will vary, depending upon the size of the sign and the nature of the played.

I claim as my invention 1. in a sign orthe like, the combination with a supporting structure comprising a wire fabric composed of a plurality of cross wires running two ways of the fabric and forming intervening openings, of a plurality of sign elements hung on said fabric to swing independently each in one of said openings, said elements practically filling said openings and forming a practically con tinuous sign surface for a representation, different component portions of which are formed by different elements.

2. In a sign or the like, the combination with a supporting structure comprising a wire fabric composed of a plurality of cross wires running two ways of the fabric and forming intervening openings, of a plurality of sheet metal sign elements hung on said fabric to swing independently each in one f said openings, said elements practically lling said openings.

1. ln sign or the like, the combination wi h supporting structure comprising a he fabric composed of a plurality of horiso al wires and a plurality of yertical wires crossing said horizontal wires and welded thereto, said crossing wires forming intervening openings, of a plurality of thin sign elements hung on said horizontal wires to swing independently each in one of said openings, said elements practically filling said openings and forming a practically continuous sign surface.

4. in a sign the like, the combination with a supporting structure comprising a plurality of horizontal wires and a plurality of vert cal wires crossing and secured to said horizontal wires, of a plurality of sheet metal elements having bent-over portions by which said elements are hung on said horizontal wires to swingindependently between said vertical wires, said elements having their horizontal. and vertical edges respectively adjacent to saio horizontal and vertical wires. 

